Hey everyone! It’s been eight weeks since we were together. I have recovered a bit from the devastation of ending our time abroad early, and one thing I can earnestly say is that I miss everyone so greatly!
I gained a lot from our time abroad. I got to see beautiful landscapes, gain some new passions, explore potential careers paths, create a field journal that is now priceless to me, and learn about the world. One of the takeaways that has impacted me the most, however, was all of the friendships I have gained. Before ESANZ, I had taken three trips with St. Olaf students, two spring break trips, and one interim abroad. I made friends on those trips, but not on the scale of our trip.
I feel like I walked away from our trip with a whole new community: 21 new, true friends that I could call on if I ever needed it. We were together through so many strange and wonderful new experiences and we got to travel all over the “bottom of the world” together. Each time we finished a hike or set off to see something new (usually on an idling tour bus), we would always commence and conclude with a count off, signaling that we were all there and ready to go.
At first, everyone was unfamiliar with the process of counting off. As number two, I was often caught off guard and would forget to say my number. Over time, as we settled in, we began to notice who was always late (you know who you are!) or who would say their number too fast or too slow, and who needed reminders. A month in, I knew everyone’s numbers. Proving that we were all together all the time was, to me, a comforting and bonding ritual.
When we found out that we were leaving early, I was so sad. Luckily, we still had several days on Phillip Island to buffer the end of our trip with. Those were some of my favorite nights. We would all wander onto the bus from some wonderful activity like penguin watching or wallaby hunting, exhausted, and, for me, a bit sad, but still all together. I was worried that any count off could be our last. When we did have our last one, in Melbourne, before going to the airport, I cried. Our bus driver, who we had never met before that day, promptly got on the speaker and announced to us that he had driven lots of groups over the years, but never any group that had shown such great affection towards one another. It made ending our trip more difficult, but I am so happy that we all grew to be so close. I love you guys!
I remember that the song “When the Saints Go Marching In” was often sung at my Catholic elementary song. Since leaving the trip, and reminiscing about our count off, a symbol of our adventures and togetherness, I have a new love for the lyric “Oh how I want to be in that number…” The other day, during a zoom lecture, we counted off as a form of attendance, and for such a seemingly benign activity, it made me emotional. Oh, how I want to be in that number!
Being stuck at home has been rough, and absolutely no fun compared to the adventure I was on, but it has given me time to build some new dreams, one of which is returning to Australia. I am so thankful for the rich experience I had; most of the time I am unsure what to do with my deep gratitude. Thank you for reading this, and thank you for caring about us. I care so much about this community we’ve built. There is so much left to see in this world. As soon as we can, let’s count off, hop on the bus, and go!
-Abby Becker